The number of people in material need and eligible for benefits rose to 185,300 as of late January, an increase of 70 compared to a month earlier. According to the figures presented by the Central Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family (ÚPSVAR), the number of beneficiaries dropped by 4,600 in annual terms.
Taking into account other family members, 360,500 persons depended on material-need benefit as of the end of January, representing 6.66 percent of Slovakia's population, the SITA newswire reported, quoting ÚPSVAR figures. The districts reporting the most beneficiaries in January were: Revúca (Banská Bystrica Region), with 9,500 people or 23.55 percent of the local population; Rimavská Sobota (also Banská Bystrica Region), with 18,300, or 22.15 percent; and Rožňava (Košice Region), with 12,100, or 19.63 percent. Bratislava’s five districts registered the lowest number of recipients, at between 0.56 and 1.03 percent of their populations.
Source: SITA
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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